Chris' Fauxhawk

I forgot to add the pictures of Chris' new do, he came home with a "Faux Hawk" a few weeks ago and taught you would all get a kick out of it. Enjoy...

Toys and toy room

So sorry I haven't updated in a while, it's been spring cleaning time here and well let's just say it will never end. It may just be me, but i feel that by the time I get one floor done I have start all over, hence never being able to see the end in sight...lol oh, the joys of being an adult.

We finally have our flooring in for the living room and dinning room and after one year of living in this house we have installed baseboards in our 2nd living room. what a difference a little base board makes to a room. The flooring looks great, now we just have to get the kitchen flooring done and all renovations will be done for now. I can't wait. We were planning on a new counter top but for now we will make do with what we have. I have been on such a mission to get this house ready for the home study that i can't seem to think of anything else including work. But if i don't work we can't live and if we can't live we can't have our baby so it's a must I guess.

Ok, enough about the house, the best news is that I have officially created my first designated baby room, it will be one of his playrooms. I have attached pictures to give you a sense of what it will be like. It's a room located next to our recroom where we tend to hang out most of the time. I have decorated the room with all sorts of Sports Memrobillia that Chris had. Please note they are all located about 4 feet off the ground as I wouldn't want the baby to be able to reach them.


SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GUESSED YET!!! we have decided to request a BOY, we have decided to request him between the age of newborn to 6 mths which means we should hopefully pick him up when he is 8-10 mths. We are so excited about a boy. We kept going back and forth between a girl and a boy but for some reason it brought us to a boy, don't get me wrong we would love a boy or girl but since we could choose we went with our gut at this time We have also decided to name him Topher, he will be named after Chris, I didn't want to name my child Junior and I love the sound of the name therefore when you remove the Chris from Christopher you are left with our future son' name.

I also purchased my very first item for Topher yesterday. I was at my nieces Danika and Samantha's school play and they had a small french book sale. I purchased him two french books and when I got to my sister's she also had a gift for him. A small tug boat for the bath tub.



It's crazy that such small items can make a difference in the house. I have never had baby items in my house that were for my baby and here they are. Knowing me and my family, by the time Topher actually gets home he will have a few rooms full of toys and gifts. Since we don't know how old or big he will be when we pick him up we can't purchase clothes right now but nothing is stopping us from buying everything else....I may end up buying some clothes, i'll just make sure it's for when he is 2 or something....


In regards to the process it's self, We have filled out the necessary paper work for the home study and I am in the process of handing out the reference letters now. Chris had his physical today and all went well, we both went for our blood testing yesterday (results to follow) and we have all our passport paper work ready to go, just need our pictures. Only a few things done out of many but every little bit is one step closer.


Well that's my update for today and I hope I haven't babbled on and on about nothing.

Thank you

I also wanted to write today to thank everyone for the overwhelming support Chris and I are receiving from our family and friend. The kind compliments about our future parenting as well as the acceptance of our decision has been amazing. Thank you all very much it means more to us than you will ever truly know.

Gift from my future child

Today I received my first gift that signifies my child. I purchased a red thread bracelete from this great adoption shop online. I know I purchased it, but when I opened the package today I felt that it was a sign from my future child. The company also sent me a beautiful message that will explain to you all what this bracelet means to me.

Here it is.

"As adoption is a process, a transition from here to there on the way to a "destination" know as your new family--so, too, the red thread in your bracelet represents a process and isn't permanent. it's not meant to be. Overtime, depending on your usage, the red thread will begin to fray. Don't pull the remaining thread out. Don't force the process to move faster than when it's meant to. When the time is right, the thread will slip away as quietly and gently as a baby's whisper. Know that is hasn't disappeared but has moved inward, deep inside your heart. Your physical read thread has become your invisible red thread and now connects you heart to heart to your new daughter or son. The silver chain and charm will remain as a lasting reminder of your adoption journey to parenthood."

What a weekend!!!

As mentioned above, what a weekend!!!! We spent most of the past weekend painting and removing carpets, as the new flooring is being installed this week. It's going to look great once it's all done. So weird, how all of a sudden my priorities have switched and it's all about getting the house ready for the home study. Every time I think to do something its about the home study. We also received some documents from Judy (case worker) and when I mean some I mean lots...lol But i'm sure it's nothing compared to the amount of paper work we will have once we submit our application to the adoption agency. Looks like we have decided on the sex of the child, however, until the application is sent out and it's official I think we will keep it a small secret. You all know me, I can't keep a secret for the life of me, but I will try and keep this one until the application is officially sent out. All the flooring and baseboards should be installed by the end of next weekend and then the paper work begins. Have a great night.

First Great News!!

I spoke to the local Case worker this morning and she was great. Super nice and comfortable to talk to. The best news is that she will be able to begin our Home Study in May. Our first appointment is May 24th at our home. We will have a minimum of 4 visits with her in our home. She will be sending me some paper work this evening to get started on the paper trail, which will only make this process go a little bit faster. Chris is still trying to digest that this may happen sooner than expected but otherwise he is just as excited. The end of May is a great time as I'm still busy painting the house to get it ready for the new flooring next week. Once that is done, i'll start concentrating on the paper trail, as well as my new office. I should have enough time in the next month and a half to get most of the paper work ready, if not as least started, and I should be settled into my new office. I know it may seem like a small detail to get so excited about but it's the first official step to getting closer to our child. We are in the process of looking into the PRIDE training course that we have to take prior to the end of our Home Study, looks like we may have to go out of town to take it, but we may be lucky and get into the course here is Sudbury.
Well that's about it for today, back to painting. I did include below a picture of our currently family members, Jake, Maddux and Ziggy incase some of you have never seen them.

Case worker

Well I finally got a call from a case worker near by yesterday. She seemed really nice but she said she will only be able to do the home study in September.....I know, that is way far it seems. I should be speaking to another one tomorrow, so hopefully she can get us in sooner, if not I will simply have to get all the leg work done, in terms of paper work and wait I guess. If I could I would have someone from Barrie do it, but it's a little far to travel all the time for the interviews and they would also have to come here. We'll see what the local case worker has to say and go from there. I'll keep you all posted.

Matante Renee Said...

Hi,I am the Babies Matante and am very excited to meet this beautiful little bundle of joy. I am so happy for Nat and Chris, they have waited a long time for this baby and they will be wonderful parents. Jessyka, Samantha, Danika, Pat and I are overjoyed to have new addition to the family. We will be there to help you along the way and after when the baby comes home. We can't wait to meet you. You already hold a place in our hearts,Ren and Pat Jessyka, Samantha, Danika

Imagine

I was looking thru my pics today and came across one from our trip to New York last year that is quite fitting to our adoption, I thought I would share with you all.

Memere said....

Hi EveryoneI'm the Memere to be. My husband and I are really excited about this new journey that Nat and Chris are undertaking. We already have three grandchildren from our other daughter Renee but we have a lot of love left in our hearts to give to a few more babies. We wish Nat and Chris all the luck in the world with everything they will have to go through during the next year or so. It will be a long pregnancy but the wait will be worth it in the end.Love you already Memere

April 9/2008 Our Journey Begins

Hello all and welcome to Our Adoption Journey. I have seen others use this way to communicate their journey with friends and family and I thought it would be a great way to keep you all informed.

First off, Chris and I have now begun the process to adoption which will take hopefully no more than 18 months. We have decided to adopt from Ethiopia, and hope to adopt a child that is less than 12 months old. We are currently at the beginning stage and are in the process of getting some paper work together, as well as trying to find a case worker to do our home study. So far I found one that would be able to do the home study in September, however seeing as I already have to wait up to a year and half I hope that the local case worker will be able to do it sooner. We have not decided on the sex of the baby yet, I personally have no preference and Chris is 50/50 on boy/girl, so it looks like we will wait and see what fate has in store for us. We will be using an agency in Cambridge, ON named Imagine adoption (http://www.imagineadoption.ca/), which specialize in Ethiopia, Zambia, Ecuador and Dominican Republic. I hope this journey will be as fun for all of you as i'm sure it will be for all of us. Please don't be shy to leave comments or if you have any questions. Sometimes you may wonder about something that I just didn't think to post. This blog is for you as much as it is for me.